Our objectives are to study the intracellular trafficking of oligonucleotides delivered by cationic lipids and the parameters influencing the delivery, to determine the uptake pathway followed by the nucleic acid/cationic lipid complexes, and to demonstrate the mechanism of oligonucleotide release from cationic lipids in cells. The understanding of such cellular delivery mechanims will allow us to develop a more rational approach to develop new nucleic acid carrier systems. We are using the facilities available through the Computer Graphics Laboratory to analyse nucleic acid sequences.